An introspective and comedic drama that looks at the life of Tatsuhiro Satõ as it delves into the psychological and emotional effects of his being both a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and a hikikomori (an extreme social recluse).

Tatsuhiro Satõ is a hikikomori; an agoraphobic shut-in nearly incapable of being in public without having an extreme panic attack. He has just one place where he feels comfortable when outside; the park near his apartment at night. On one fateful night there he meets Misaki Nakahara, a strange young woman who offers to help him recover from his social paranoia through the use of a contract; this contract specifies that they will meet there every night for a lesson, and that failure to do so will result in a fine of one million yen.

Tatsuhiro soon meets his old junior from high school, Kaoru Yamazaki, who has since become an obsessive otaku and hopeful game designer. In another effort to help Tatsuhiro, the two begin work on an eroge to present to Misaki in order to prove that Tatsuhiro is no longer a NEET.

Another theme of the series revolves around Tatsuhiro's incredible paranoia and imagination; he has created an entire conspiracy theory to cope with his personal issues. He believes that an evil organization known only as the N.H.K. (not to be confused the the Japanese broadcaster) has set out to ruin his life through the subtle manipulation of others. Dream sequences and hallucinations often appear in the show, where Tatsuhiro sees gremlin-like creatures working for the N.H.K. conspiring against him.

Notable Characters

Tatsuhiro Satõ

The male protagonist of the series, which takes place entirely around events he usually has a hand in inadvertently creating. He is a hikikomori and NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), and as such is both paranoid and socially inept.

He eventually befriends both Misaki and Kaoru, becoming more relaxed and relatively normal when they're around. He finds something resembling a job with Kaoru, who helps him create an eroge in his spare time, and also finds feelings for Misaki, who helps him turn his life around.

Misaki Nakahara

The mysterious female lead, Misaki is sincere in her wish to help Tatsuhiro out of his rut, though her reasons for doing so are concealed until the very end of the series. She is an avid reader, particularly interested in psychology texts, which she often reads to Tatsuhiro at their meetings. She is normally cheerful when around Tatsuhiro, though underneath that outward appearance lies issues that she struggles to deal with, gradually becoming more and more depressed.

Kaoru Yamazaki

A huge fan of anime, manga, and eroge, Kaoru is revealed to be the noisy next-door neighbor of Tatsuhiro after the latter kicks his door open in protest of the constant, never-ending theme song that Kaoru plays at all hours of the day. Formerly Tatsuhiro's junior in high school, Kaoru now attends a school for game design, wishing to create the next big eroge. He's easy to anger and easy to get drunk, traits which land him in trouble on several occasions.